Lake Diefenbaker is a reservoir and bifurcation lake in Southern Saskatchewan, Canada. It was formed by the construction of Gardiner Dam and the QuAppelle River Dam across the South Saskatchewan and QuAppelle Rivers respectively. Construction began in 1959 and the lake was filled in 1967. The lake is 225 kilometres (140 mi) long with approximately 800 kilometres (500 mi) of shoreline. It has a maximum depth of 66 metres (217 ft), while the water levels regularly fluctuate 3–9 metres (9–27 feet) each year. Lake Diefenbaker provides water for domestic irrigation and town water supplies. The flow of the two rivers is now regulated with a considerable portion of the South Saskatchewan diverted into the QuAppelle. Prior to the dams construction, high water levels in the South Saskatchewan would frequently cause dangerous ice conditions downstream in Saskatoon while the QuAppelle would frequently dry up in the summer months. Lake Diefenbaker is the largest body of water in southern Saskatchewan, although Last Mountain Lake is the largest naturally occurring one. Lake Diefenbaker was named after John G. Diefenbaker, former Prime Minister of Canada.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 02:02:37 +0000
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